Arcooda has just listed their 2025-edition LCD arcade monitor replacements for sale and there’s quite a few differences from the original announcement earlier this year. First, there’s now two main sizes to choose from; 26″ & 35″, chosen to fit in the most common arcade cabinets. Next, their original expected resolution of 1600×1200 has changed – Each of the monitor sizes comes in two resolution choices: 1440×1080 and 2880×2160. That essentially makes them 4:3 versions of 1080p and 4K, which is a much better match for existing scalers…and they’re also fully compatible with 240p, 480p and odd arcade timings like 24Khz. Prices range from $500 to $800 and they’re due to ship to customers before fall. Lots more info after the links:
26″, 1080p: https://www.arcooda.com/buy/26-inch-Arcooda-4-3-Ratio-LCD-Monitor-15khz-24khz-31khz-up-to-1440×1080-20218
26″, 4K: https://www.arcooda.com/buy/26-inch-Arcooda-4-3-Ratio-Arcade-LCD-Monitor-15khz-24khz-31khz-up-to-2880×2160-4K–20217
35″, 1080p: https://www.arcooda.com/buy/35-inch-Arcooda-4-3-Ratio-Arcade-LCD-Monitor-15khz-24khz-31khz-up-to-1440×1080-20219
35″, 4K: https://www.arcooda.com/buy/35-inch-Arcooda-4-3-Ratio-Arcade-LCD-Monitor-15khz-24khz-31khz-up-to-2880×2160-20214
As always, it’s important to clarify these displays are aimed as arcade machine CRT replacements and not just “gaming monitors”. That said, if you have the cash to spend and are looking for a bright, low-latency 4:3 screen, these are definitely worth considering. If you’re on a budget though, just grab a cheap 16:9 display and a scaler like the RT5x for about the same price as the cheapest model here.
…but if you can utilize the built-in features, the prices really start to make sense. While I haven’t personally tested these yet, Arcooda claims they perform even better than their previous models which were really impressive! They were very low latency, accepted all the weird resolutions I threw at it and was able to sharp-scale the input signal to the target resolution. While it wasn’t as sharp as feeding the panel its native resolution, the result was still great and far better than any off-the-shelf flat panel I’ve ever tested.
Where they really shine is arcade monitor replacements. And yes, we’d all prefer brand new, perfectly calibrated CRT’s for our machines, but that’s not possible. Sometimes people need to result to an LCD conversion…even if it’s just temporary until you can eventually rebuild your CRT, chassis and all other boards. And I think these are the perfect fit. They even have an optional RGB input board, designed to accept the higher voltages arcade boards output. That means no supergun or scaler needed, you can use these as drop-in replacements for CRT’s and they’ll do a good job sharp-scaling.
Now you probably see where the cost makes sense: A good supergun is $150 and you’ll need to pair that with at least an OSSC which is about the same cost. Then you’ll need to get an LCD display that fits your arcade machine, which might not be possible with 16:9 panels. Right there, you’re already at about the same price as the 26″, 1080p model…but what about the rest of the wiring? Are you going to re-wire the control panel? Build more harnesses? Or instead, would you rather just install one of these and use all the existing wiring, only tapping RGBs for the display?
What I’m really curious is the difference in look between the 1080p and 4K model. Will the extra pixel density make a difference in the overall look, or are the 1080p displays good enough? And while it’s overkill, how will the 4K panel look with a RetroTINK 4K connected? Hopefully I’ll be able to borrow some to find out.
If you’re interested in seeing a bit more about these, as well as an explanation as to what the delays have been, check out the video below. I’ve been talking to the team regularly and it’s crazy how many bumps in the road they’ve encountered. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly and these will be hitting customers soon enough!
